Malcolm A. Smith

Richard Perry/The New York Times

News about Malcolm A. Smith, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 2, 2015

United States District Court Judge Kenneth M Karas sentences former New York State Senate majority leader Malcolm A Smith, Democrat from Queens, to seven years in prison for bribing Republican leaders to let him run for mayor on their party's line; former Queens County Republican vice chairman Vincent Tabone is sentenced to three and half years for acceptance of $25,000 bribe in case. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Daniel J Halloran III, former Republican City Councilman from Queens, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for his part in two corruption schemes; charges included taking thousands of dollars in bribes to aid in mayoral bid by former State Senate majority leader Malcolm A Smith. MORE

Feb. 6, 2015

Malcolm A Smith, former New York State Senate majority leader, is convicted of federal corruption charges including bribery, wire fraud and extortion; Smith, a Democrat, is accused of bribing Republican legislators in attempt to run for New York City mayor on Republican ballot in 2013. MORE

Sep. 10, 2014

Democratic primary voters in Queens reject indicted State Sen Malcolm A Smith and elect Leroy Comrie in landslide; State Sen John L Sampson, indicted on embezzlement charges, wins Brooklyn primary; State Sen Tony Avella wins tight race against former New York City Comptroller John Liu; Independent Democrat leader Sen Jeffrey D Klein of the Bronx fends off challenge by G Oliver Koppell. MORE

Sep. 4, 2014

New York State Sens John L Sampson, Thomas W Libous and Malcolm A Smith will appear on primary ballots despite having been indicted during 18 months leading up to election; watchdog groups say number is striking, even for state with long history of official corruption. MORE

Jul. 30, 2014

Former New York City Councilman Daniel J Halloran III, Queens Republican, is found guilty of taking bribes, orchestrating payoffs and participating in scheme to help New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith run for mayor as a Republican; Smith was granted a mistrial in June. MORE

Jul. 25, 2014

Former New York City Councilman Daniel J Halloran III finishes testimony in case against him that alleges he took bribes to help State Senator Malcolm A Smith run as a Republican for mayor in 2013. MORE

Jun. 18, 2014

Malcolm A Smith, former majority and minority leader of New York State Senate, is granted mistrial by Federal Judge Kenneth M Karas in his trial for bribery and wire fraud; proceedings fell apart because federal prosecutors failed to turn over promptly to defense more than 70 hours of wiretapped conversations, about a third of them in Yiddish, and translating and digesting them would require jurors to serve longer than some could manage. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Mistrial in federal government's bribery case against New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith and two other defendants seems highly possible; Judge Kenneth M Karas says he will ask jurors whether they can serve into mid-July so defense lawyers can digest dozens of hours of recorded conversation in Yiddish and English. MORE

Jun. 14, 2014

United States District Court Judge Kenneth M Karas says he will entertain written arguments to help him determine whether 28 hours of untranslated Yiddish conversation might warrant mistrial or dismissal of bribery indictments against New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith and two other defendants; prosecutors hurriedly assemble team of translators. MORE

Jun. 13, 2014

Corruption trial of New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith and two other defendants may be put on hold because of failure by prosecutors to turn over to defense lawyers recordings of 9,000 conversations, almost 300 in Yiddish, made or received by developer Moses Stern; translating material could take weeks as there are few court-certified Yiddish translators. MORE

Jun. 12, 2014

Bribery and wire fraud trial of New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith, who is accused of bribing officials to put him on ballot for New York City mayor in 2013, continues at federal courthouse; Smith's fate may hinge on how jury interprets his often inscrutable responses in taped conversation with undercover agent and government informer. MORE

Jun. 11, 2014

Secretly recorded conversations are played at bribery trial of New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith; he is charged with taking part in a conspiracy to pass $60,000 in bribes to Daniel J Halloran III, then a city councilman, and two Republican county leaders, in attempt to get on New York City ballot in 2013 mayoral race. MORE

Jun. 10, 2014

Testimony in corruption trial of New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith reveals conversation between Smith and two men who were working surreptitiously for federal authorities about supporting his New York City mayoral campaign; important for its revelations about New York State politics, conversation also reveals an 'American Hustle'-style seduction by government informers to see how far Smith would go to secure the nomination. MORE

Jun. 7, 2014

Undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, testifying in bribery and wire fraud trial of New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith, describes Smith's plan to get himself on the New York City ballot as Republican in 2013 mayoral race. MORE

Jun. 6, 2014

New York State Sen Diane J Savino testifies in bribery and wire fraud trial of her colleague Malcolm A Smith, saying Smith felt 'marginalized' in the senate after he had lost his job as majority leader; Smith is accused of bribing White Plains Republican leaders to give him a letter that would authorize him to run as a Republican in New York City mayoral race. MORE

Jun. 5, 2014

Lawyer for New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith, who is on trial for bribery and wire fraud, argues in his opening statement that Smith was victim of government sting; Smith is accused of trying to influence county leaders with tens of thousands of dollars in cash to get himself on New York City ballot as Republican in 2013 mayoral race. MORE

Jun. 2, 2014

Malcolm A Smith, Democratic Queens state senator who had ambitions to run for mayor of New York City, goes on trial in federal court on charges of bribery and extortion for trying to bribe Republican county leaders and a Queens city councilman so they would certify him as a Republican in the 2013 race. MORE

Feb. 15, 2014

Office of United States attorney for Southern District of New York opposes request by New York State Senator Malcolm A Smith, who has been charged in a plot to bribe his way onto the ballot to run for mayor of New York City, to delay his corruption trial; Smith argues trial would interfere with his re-election campaign. MORE

Apr. 24, 2013

New York State Senator Malcolm A Smith and New York City Councilman Daniel J Halloran III, charged with scheming to place Smith on ballot in New York City’s mayoral race, enter their not guilty pleas in Federal District Court; four others named in indictment also plead not guilty. MORE

Apr. 6, 2013

Increased focus by Federal prosecutors on political corruption, along with more aggressive tactics, have helped bring bribery cases against New York Sen Malcolm A Smith and Bronx Assemblyman Eric A Stevenson to court. MORE

Apr. 6, 2013

Michael Wilson Crime Scene column speculates on the link between corrupt politicians and steakhouses; notes two separate bribery exchanges involving New York Sen Malcolm A Smith and Assemblyman Eric A Stevenson, saying both occurred in popular New York City steakhouses; theorizes that such establishments offer discreet and clubby atmosphere that appeals to the male ego. MORE

Apr. 6, 2013

Gail Collins Op-Ed column contends corruption scandals surrounding State Sen Malcolm Smith and Assemblyman Eric Stevenson are an embarrassment for New York State, where politicians are showing themselves to be inept even at bribery. MORE

Apr. 4, 2013

Broad charges announced this week against Democratic State Senator Malcolm A Smith of Queens and five other political figures shows that prosecutors are still using honest-services fraud charges to go after lawmakers they say have accepted bribes; charges come more than a year after Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the scope of law, limiting it to bribes and kickbacks rather than undisclosed conflicts of interest. MORE

Apr. 4, 2013

Editorial contends convoluted bribery plot in which Malcolm Smith, Democratic state senator, attempted to buy spot on New York City mayoral ballot exposes worst of state's political culture. MORE

Apr. 3, 2013

New York State Sen Malcolm A Smith and five other officials are arrested on fraud and bribery charges in sting operation involving unnamed real estate developer; he is accused of making payments to New York City Councilman Daniel J Halloran III as part of bid to get on mayoral ballot in New York; two Spring Valley officials are charged in separate scheme involving developer. MORE

Apr. 3, 2013

Jim Dwyer About New York column notes Democratic State Sen Malcolm A Smith, accused by federal authorities of swapping road improvements in Rockland County for spot on ballot in Republican primary for mayor in New York City, remains picture of calm in court; says Smith has been swinging like a shutter in a hurricane for much of last decade, seated along hinges of power in Albany. MORE

Apr. 3, 2013

Malcolm A Smith, who was part of unusual two-party alliance controlling New York State Senate, faces immediate repercussions after he is charged in bribery plot; he is stripped of his committee posts and state leaders suggest that he consider resigning. MORE

Apr. 3, 2013

New York City's Republican Party chairman Joseph J Savino and vice chairman Vincent Tabone are arrested and accused of involvement in what authorities say was attempt by State Sen Malcolm A Smith to bribe his way onto Republican line in city mayoral race. MORE

Aug. 23, 2012

State Senator Malcolm A Smith of Queens demands an apology from rapper Lil Wayne, after his remark in a TV interview that he does not like New York City. MORE

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